Pages

Thursday, June 9, 2016

3 Tips for First Time Campers

I don't know about you, but I love being outside. Not as much in the winter, but once warm weather hits, I'm all about it.

Weekend trips to explore new places rank right at the top of my favorite ways to spend a weekend. BUT, I don't always want to drop a bunch of $$$ on a hotel room or B&B for a night or two stay. This doesn't mean I'm stuck at home though. Camping is a great way to be outside, save some cash & get away from the city for a weekend.

I posted my tips for beginning backpackers back in May. But many of you said that you weren't quite to the backpacking stage yet, and I get it. There are plenty of camping options that don't require hiking to your campsite carrying all of your gear. What if you've never been camping before though? Don't worry, I was into my 20's before I ever went camping. If you do it right, it'll be just as comfortable as being at home. Here's a few tips to get you started.

1. Pick a well equipped campsite

No matter where you live there are bound to be tons of camping options within an hour or two drive. You'll want to pick a campsite that allows you to reserve in advance, has permanent restrooms (maybe even showers), potable water & nearby parking. These things may not all be important to you, but if it's your first or your 100th time camping, these are still things that can make camping a bit more enjoyable.

2. Bring campfire friendly food

You'd be surprised how well you can eat while camping. S'mores are a no-brainer when you're camping, but most campsites with a firepit will have some sort of grate over top that will allow you to cook food on top. I'll be doing a separate post on eating while camping, but honestly, the BF & I usually take steaks, foil wrapped baked potatoes & s'more fixins.

The important part here is know what you'll eat, know how you'll plan to cook it & know how you'll store it. If you plan on staying more than one night you'll need a good cooler & ice to keep perishables fresh.

3. Test your equipment

Nothing is worse than getting to the campsite & realizing you can't put your tent together. Or (not that I speak from experience) trying to blow up your air mattress only to realize there's a hole in it. Or that someone forgot to pack the pump...I still give the BF flack for that one. If it's your first time camping, practicing setting up your tent ahead of time, or starting a fire can help you feel at ease when you're setting up your campsite.

18 comments:

Great tips! I went camping once with girl scouts in my youth, hated it, and didn't go camping again until I was in my 30s! We've been doing it a bit more now and I've come to enjoy it :) I definitely think the tip on testing your gear in advance is huge. We had that air mattress experience once when we realized it had a leak but we were already at the camp site by that point.

Definitely echo your advice about #2. Do put a lot of thought into your food situation before you go. Try to plan meals/snacks that are as easy as possible, because it can get frustrating when you're outside your comfort zone, you're starving, and you realize it's going to take time and work to prepare your food. I've definitely had those disorienting moments where I suddenly remember I can't just pop open the fridge or call Jimmy Johns. While the BF and I have always been diligent about bringing our cooler and packing food for every meal, we also fall into the trap of packing lots of unhealthy stuff (hot dogs! smores! chips and dip! BECAUSE CAMPFIRE!!), and it just didn't feel good to eat that way.

I love bringing good food. That actually is what causes many of my family members to like camping. If it's all dried food, it's not quite as fun, so S'mores, warm soups, and hotdogs are all yummy ways to enjoy it. Also, there are so many good campsites everywhere, and it just takes a little research!

As you know I do love me some camping, even if I'm in my RV. You've given me great inspiration for future posts too since we do camp so much. I am always on the lookout for easy camping meals. Where do you find a lot of yours? Smores are a must if you can have a campfire. Recently I fell in love with cabbage cooked on the firepit grate! It was amazing!

Good tips! Our family are regular campers for our holidays and we upgraded a year ago to a camper trailer which makes things just a little more fabulous! I heard a statistic recently that families who camp together are more likely to stay together - not sure why that is, maybe it's something to do with working as a team to get stuff done, or facing adversity together (yes, something unexpected will go wrong pretty much every trip, but it's OK, you can deal with it). I also love the fact that we can all unplug and just hang out.